Immigration reform advocates urge President Obama to take action

(CNN) -- Activists on both sides of the immigration debate agree on one thing: The current system doesn't work, and states have stepped in with their own laws because the federal government hasn't done enough.

Some hope President Barack Obama's speech on the issue Tuesday will be a turning point, shifting from talk into action.

"Meetings and speeches alone are not going to be the solution right now," said Clarissa Martinez, director of the National Council of La Raza's immigration campaign.

Obama has discussed the issue extensively with Latino leaders over the past several weeks, but activists want a detailed plan, she said. And they hope the president will pick up the pace in the push for reform he first promised during his campaign for office.

"Washington, D.C., has failed the country when it comes to immigration reform. At some point, local elected officials are going to take matters into their own hands," said Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum.

In many states, they already have.

Arizona's controversial law aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration catapulted the issue onto the national stage last year, drawing a lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Justice, which argues that the law is unconstitutional.

Lawmakers in at least 20 states weighed similar proposals during the past year, according to the National Immigration Forum. One -- in Georgia -- is only a signature away from becoming law.

Source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/cnn_allpolitics/~3/ihUq5XdfWrY/index.html

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